Keep IMF and World Bank instruments of US policy, Treasury chief urges Congress

For every dollar the US spends in the IMF, four dollars are leveraged from other members, the Treasury secretary told Congress, urging lawmakers to approve a reform bill or risk losing “international credibility and influence.”

Facing the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday,
Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew testified as to the importance of the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to US economic and
political influence around the world.

“Our investments in these institutions promote our strategic
interests and international stability,” Lew told lawmakers.
“Every dollar of our participation leverages four more from
other member countries.”

These other members have been asking for more representation in
the IMF, an institution originally established at the 1944
Bretton Woods conference. In 2010, its 188 member states adopted
a package of reforms that would distribute influence more evenly,
while keeping the IMF under the effective control of Washington.
However, Congress has refused to approve the agreement. Earlier
this year, the fund’s executive board decided to explore ways to
move ahead without US approval by June 30.

Proponents of the reform have pointed out that it would only
reduce the US share of control over the IMF board from 16.75
percent to 16.5. Any amendments to the fund’s policies or
operations require 85 percent of the board vote, meaning
Washington would continue to have a de facto vote.

“Through the IMF, the US gets to decide how to spend other
people’s money. The IMF amplifies Washington’s influence. A deal
to expand the IMF further is about as close to a free lunch for
America as it gets,” wrote Brett House in Quartz magazine
last month.

The Treasury’s warnings come as a number of Washington’s European
allies expressed interest in a new international investment bank
created by Beijing last year. London recently said that it would join the $50 billion Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB), with major European states following suit
despite protests from Washington.

International financial institutions such as the IMF and the
World Bank “effectively leverage our limited resources in
service of our national and global interests,” Lew told the
lawmakers. If the IMF decides to proceed without US approval, the
result would be “a loss of US influence and our ability to
shape international norms and practices,” he said.

However, the Congressional committee seemed far more interested
in asking Lew about Hillary Clinton’s emails, since he served as
one of her deputies at the State Department between January 2009
and November 2010.

Lew countered that he primarily dealt with Clinton through phone
calls and meetings, and that he did not remember which address
the emails came from. “I don’t remember giving it a lot of
thought,” he said. “It was a long time ago.”

In other news, Jack Lew said earlier today he didn't remember
anything about Clinton's email arrangement at State: http://t.co/rY9ZOXIqSF